North Korea-China trade recovered to early pandemic levels in the first quarter of 2022, new Chinese data shows, appearing to push ahead despite renewed COVID-19 lockdowns in China. 

According to China’s General Administration of Customs (GAC), North Korea imported $57 million worth of goods from China in March 2022, bringing total quarterly imports to $173 million. Pyongyang imported $110 million in the prior quarter.

Meanwhile, North Korea’s quarterly exports to China decreased only slightly, from $24.7 million in the fourth quarter of 2021 to $23.5 million in the first quarter of 2022.

The latest data points to steadily growing bilateral